Hello Readers! A lot of new info popped up recently as the New York Comic Con started this weekend. There have been some long awaited release dates, and interesting industry happenings. I’m still looking for tips on what types of stories are most wanted, so if anyone has any constructive suggestions, please feel free to leave them in the comments section. Anyway, enjoy reading!

US release date set for Redline

After a long wait, Manga Entertainment has announced a release date for the award winning anime film Redline. It will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray January, 17th, 2012 with a small theatrical release happening shortly beforehand. Produced by the famous Studio Madhouse- responsible for films such as Paprika, Ninja Scroll, and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time– it’s no surprise that the visuals are superb. Redline’s story centers around about the largest, most complex, and dangerous race in the world. It follows daredevil JP as he enters the race and does his best among all the hazards and other racers, including his crush. The film spent seven years in production and showcases the amazing power of 2D animation in an age where 3D effects are taking over.

[http://www.crunchyroll.com/]

English Trailer:

Madoka Magica” Vol. 1 DVD/Blu-Ray release Date Announced

It was announced at the New York Comic Con Oct. 14th that Puella Magi Madoka Magica finally has a U.S. Release date set. Vol. 1 will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray February 14th, 2012 and volumes 2 and 3 are set to be released later on April 10th and June 12th respectivley. Aside from the standard release, Madoka Magica will be released as a special edition box set with DVD and Blu-ray discs, soundtrack, A bonus feature disc, and a 24 page booklet.

For those who aren’t familiar with it, Madoka Magica is a magical girl anime that aired earlier this year in Japan to a favorable response from critics and viewers. While the show follows the basic magical girl formula, it takes an unusually dark and complex perspective. Madoka places its focus in a unique direction, It has an especially eerie tone and examines complex themes usually overlooked by magical girl shows, such as isolation, death, and loss of humanity.

[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/]

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Nico Nico and Funimation Form Anime Simulcast partnership

Some exciting news was announced at the NYAF Panel at the New York Comic-Con on Friday. Funimation announced a new partnership with video service Nico Nico to start simulcasting titles through the fall. Together, the two companies are forming a joint venture to acquire new anime titles from Japan.

The titles that this plan will start off with are:

C3– A school battle/ love comedy story with supernatural elements

The Future Diary– A psychological thriller based off of the manga by Esuno Sakake

Guilty Crown– A futuristic super-powered teen show

LASTEXILE: Fam, The Silver Wing– The long awaited follow-up to the classic sci-fi anime, Last Exile.

Maken –Ki!- An action/comedy about a skirt chaser who applies to a high school because it’s co-ed, only to discover the students have battles with magical weapons.

Haganai– A school life story about a mislabeled “delinquent” and a loner who form a school club.

Shakugan no Shana III Final– The Sequel to Shana II

[http://www.crunchyroll.com/]

Tokyopop (sort of) not completely dead

Even though their doors officially closed on March 31st, former manga/light novel publisher Tokyopop has remained somewhat active in other channels like Facebook. Naturally, this led to some wondering what the popular publisher was going to do next. The answer is somewhat surprising. This message was uploaded to Tokyopop’s facebook page Wednesday, the 11th:

“Loyal Fans, we’re very thrilled by your excitement but need to clarify: unfortunately we are not re-launching the manga – those properties have reverted to their owners and are amazingly difficult to get back. We’re launching an all new editorial TOKYOPOP newsletter about all things otaku and Asian pop-culture, powered by our friends at GeekChicDaily. We think you’ll really enjoy the news we’ll be bringing and apologize for the initial misunderstanding.”

There you have it. GeekChicDaily is launching Tokyopop as an otaku newsletter. They might not be releasing manga again, but at least they are doing something anime related.

[http://www.crunchyroll.com/]

Shonen Jump to Abandon Print Format Next March

Viz Media announced at the New York Comic-Con on Friday that the American version of the manga magazine Shonen Jump will abandon the print format. Instead of a physical release, the successor, Shonen Jump Alpha, will be completely digital and will start next January. The US release of Shonen Jump first started in November 2002 and helped popularize fan favorites such as One Piece and Naruto. If you are like me and favor print magazines, enjoy your newsstand issues of Shonen Jump while you can.